


My Huckleberry Friend

by BaratheonBabe



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU- Game of Thrones, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2017-12-12 11:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/810953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaratheonBabe/pseuds/BaratheonBabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Modern AU: Fluffy. After Arya and Gendry help Sansa win a radio contest for some concert tickets the three go on a summertime cross country road trip, picking up some new friends (Margaery and Hot Pie) along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Super Smash Brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Some ages are different than in cannon. Arya is 15, Gendry and Sansa are 17 and Margaery is 18. The POV is going to switch back and forth from Arya to Sansa and both will get three chapters each.

It had been an uneventful summer vacation so far, and cabin fever was setting in.  
Arya at the moment was slumped over the granite island counter in the kitchen “Can I come to work with you today?”  
Her father smiled spoke through his toast “and what would you do at work with me?”  
“I could put on a dog collar and sniff out drugs and bombs and other illegal substances.”  
He leaned back to the counter near an open window. Pretty sunlight and a morning breeze sifted through lacey curtains. She could smell honey suckle on the air and her father’s old spice.  
She was quiet for a moment before asking “Do you think I’d be a good cop?”  
“Well…You’d be small for one that’s for sure.”  
“Robert is fat for one, that doesn’t stop him.”  
Ned nearly spit out his coffee laughing “That’s not very nice Arya, and call him Uncle Robert… Do you hear me?”  
“But he‘s not really our uncle,” she rolled her eyes.  
“Well you aren’t going to call him Robert, it’s disrespectful.” he scolded “Uncle Robert or Mr. Baratheon.”  
“He’s not my biology teacher either.”  
“Arya,”  
“Yes sir… Uncle Robert then.”  
She glanced out the window to see a beat up blue truck swing into the driveway abruptly. She sat up strait, eyes wide like a startled ferret “Who’s car is that? They drive like a ninny…”  
Ned craned his head back to see “That’s erm…that must be Gendry‘s truck then. That‘s Robert now.”  
“Gendry? Who’s Gendry?”  
“Gendry is Uncle Roberts son. He‘s a good lad.”  
“But Uncle Robert and Aunt Cerci-”  
“Not aunt Cerci.”  
“Oh. How come he’s staying over?”  
The doorbell rung “Doesn’t matter, you just show him where’s what around the house alright?”  
“Okay…”  
She followed him most of the way to the door, but stopped in the archway of the kitchen. Ned opened the door. Uncle Robert came in trailed by a boy her sister Sansa’s age.  
While Arya had to admit there was an uncanny resemblance he didn’t have the same air as his father. Robert was quick tempered, jovial and unwaveringly crass. Everything about him was loud and booming. At least for the moment, this boy seemed quiet.  
He caught her gaze in his own and gave a quick wave and a quick smile before shoving his hands back in his pockets. Arya returned both. It was your vanilla “my old person knows your old person” greeting. However, although Arya would never admit it, she felt a jolt at the fierceness of his icy eyes. He was handsome…  
Some words were exchanged, mostly between the police men on there way to work. Ned gave Gendry a good natured shoulder shake on the way out the door and instructed him to ask Arya or the others for whatever he needed.  
Arya ran to give her father a hug before he left, a daily ritual. Even when she was angry with him, she tried not to miss it.  
Gendry and Arya stood quietly for a moment.  
“Well, bathroom is that way,” Ayra pointed down the hall before starting up the stairs.  
“Where are you going?” he said following.  
“X-box. Game room. Come with if you like.”  
Rickon and Jon were already at the Wii playing Super Smash Brothers Melee so her idea of Marvel Vs. Capcom was out the window.  
“Damn it…I play the winner!” Arya called sitting in the recliner off to the side “Then Gendry plays me.”  
“Wouldn’t Gendry play the winner too?” neither Jon nor little Rickon could be bothered to look up in the middle of a fight to greet their company.  
“Well yeah, but it’ll probably be me anyway.”  
“Oh!” said Jon “Talking trash before this match is even over. We‘ll see.” He had been letting Rickon win, but now began to kick his 6 year old but, eager to teach Arya a thing or two.  
Gendry stood awkwardly in the doorway.  
“If Jon wins against Arya,” Bran said from his desk “Gendry’s turn is forfeit and I get to have a go at Jon.”  
“I could still be the winner!” Rickon exclaimed.  
“That‘s a possibility,” Jon returned, both reassurance and jape.  
Arya waved Gendry over “Come on, you can sit down.”  
Arya’s Samus beat Jon’s Mr. Game and Watch by a hair. Her last knock out had been smashing him into the ground, before he flew off the side of the screen. It was more luck than skill, as Jon was more practiced. She celebrated loudly, since it was once in a blue moon ANY of them beat Jon.  
“Victory!” she sang “I THREW IT ON THE GROUND!”  
“That was just luck!  
“If it helps you sleep at night! Loser! Loser! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GROUND!”  
Gendry laughed, and Jon glared at him.  
“Rematch,” Jon demanded.  
“No way, it’s Gendry’s turn.”  
He grudgingly handed the controller over and they traded seats. Jon kept a careful eye on him.  
Gendry picked Mario.  
“Samus or Zelda…” she thought aloud.  
“I’ll switch to Link if you pick Zelda. Then we can play at the temple or that majora‘s mask place.”  
“Okay.” she smiled picking Zelda. Link was easier to beat than Mario for her.  
“I’ll try and go easy on you.”  
“Pfft, whatever. All or nothing bull brains.”  
He laughed “Alright, just don’t cry about it when you lose.”  
Sansa burst in carrying a cell phone and a pink radio. She had on a black tank top with rainbow hearts and short shorts.  
“Pause that stupid game, It’s an emergency!”  
Everyone stood up at once.  
“Hello caller number seven?” said the radio.  
“Yeah yeah, here.” Sansa’s voice came from her mouth as well as the radio.  
“What’s your name pretty lady?” said the radio.  
“Sansa,” she twirled her hair stepping from foot to foot “Sansa Stark.”  
“Are you ready to play Sansa?”  
“Yeah!” she put a hand on the receiver "Help me," she whispered.  
“Okay! Name three Bruce Willis movies little lady!”  
“Erm, Moon Rise Kingdom,” she waved her hand at all of them.  
“Die hard and The Fifth Element,” Arya offered.  
“Die hard!” Sansa shouted into her phone “The Fifth Element!”  
“Very good!” the radio said “Now, in this 1961 Audrey Hepburn film-”  
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s! You mean Breakfast at Tiffany‘s!” Sansa shouted. It was her favorite, and Ayra had been forced to watch it more times then she liked.  
“Slow down there little lady, I haven’t even finished the question. Now in Breakfast at Tiffanies, what song does Audrey Hepburn perform on Holly’s fire escape?”  
“Moon River!”  
“Can you sing us all the words to Moon River?”  
“Yes of coarse I can!” Sansa cleared her throat and sang out prettily.

Moon river, Wider than a mile  
I’m crossing you in style someday  
Oh dream maker, you heart breaker  
Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way  
Two drifters, off to see the world  
There’s such a lot of world to see  
We’re after, the same rainbows end  
Waitin’ round that bend  
My huckleberry friend, moon river, and me

“Terrific! You have a beautiful voice Sansa.” She did, even Arya had to admit it. She loved her sisters singing voice.  
“Thank you,” she grinned at Arya. Arya smiled back reluctantly.  
“Now one more question and the tickets are yours. Are you ready?”  
“Yes.” Sansa was brimming over with excitement.  
“This one is for our sponsor. What year did the first Chevrolet truck go on sale?”  
Her face drained of color and joy. She looked around the room desperate. Bran, Rickon, Jon, Arya; None of them knew.  
“1981...” Gendry said shyly.  
Sansa’s mouth fell open “Erm…19...1981?”  
“CORRECT!”  
She squealed and screamed “I WON! I WON! WE WON! You two are coming with me weather you like it or not! Thank you! thank you!”  
She jumped around the room screaming, her red hair bouncing all around her. She threw her arms around Arya and Gendry and gave them both a huge kiss right on the lips.  
“You there Sansa?”  
She stopped and held the phone back to her face, breathing heavily “Yes, yes.”  
“Stay on the line okay?”  
“Yes, yeah okay,” she picked up her radio on left the room, closing the door behind her.  
“Yuck!” Arya said wiping her mouth. She looked to Gendry and saw him blushing, grinning ear to ear like an idiot. Arya burned with resentment.


	2. Victory, Thy Name is boobs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Margaery and Hot Pie at the lake.

Sansa’s mother and father had taken a lot of convincing, especially after she told them none of her brothers could come to look after Arya and Herself, because they had only won three tickets.

“Arya and Gendry have to come! They helped me win! It wouldn’t be fair if they didn‘t get to come! You aren‘t being fair!”

So with a lot of pleading (both to her parents and Arya and Gendry) the three of them piled into his truck, with a full tank of gas, three trunks and some mad money.

What they didn’t have was an air conditioner.

“It‘s so hot!” complained poor Arya who had to sit in the middle. 

Sansa drew her arm back in the window and pushed her heart framed sunglasses up her nose “I know, isn’t it miserable?” It was 100 plus degrees outside at least. Sansa kicked open the cooler at her feet to grab Arya a bottle of water.

“I’m melting!” Arya shouted throwing herself on top of Sansa “Melting, melting!”

“Gross! Arya you’re all sweaty! Stop that!” Sansa shoved her away from herself and into Gendry.

“Shit! Shit!” he exclaimed as the truck swerved into the wrong lane. He pulled it back into the right one, “Don’t fucking do that!”

“Yeah, Arya!”

“Yeah BOTH of you!”

Sansa handed Arya a bottle of water out of the cooler at her feet before slamming it shut. That was Arya’s fault, she thought, she‘s such a child sometimes.

They drove on in silence for a few minutes before Sansa noticed a brown sign on the side of the road “Did you see that? There’s a lake coming up…” she said “With a beach.”

“I wish I had a swim suit,” Arya said.

“I brought two,” Sansa told her. 

“You packed two swimsuits?” 

“Well I’m prepared and you’re not,” she leaned forward “Gendry can we stop and go swimming?”

He glanced over before looking back at the road “What about the concert?”

“We only have to go about 200 miles a day. We‘re already making great time.” she returned.

“…Excuse me? Just 200 miles a day?”

She nodded “Isn’t that a lot?”

“No. That’s what…4 hours of driving a day.”

“So it’s a lot. We have like two and a half weeks.”  
He swung the car around making a big U-turn.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m turning around is what I’m doing! I‘m not spending half a month with the two of you!”

“Hey!” Arya complained. 

He looked flustered for a moment before he banged his palm on the steering wheel “It’s just a lot! You don’t NEED half a month to drive across the country.”

Sansa scoffed “You do if you don’t want to be miserable. Who wants to get there legs all cramped up and their butt sore? AND we have time to make it a proper road trip! A big American road trip! It‘s romantic!”

“It’s SILLY.”

Arya, surprisingly enough, came to her rescue “I’m with Sansa. It‘ll be an Adventure. We can stop and see things. Do you really want to spend the WHOLE time in the truck?”

He sighed turning the car back around “No. I guess not… Were your parents really okay with you being gone for like half a month?

“Duh,” Arya said “Who do you think helped us navigate?”

“So you were both in on this and you didn’t tell me? This isn’t fair! It’s…It’s my truck! I should be in charge, not you!”

“Aww,” Sansa said pulling a sad face “My name is Gendry and I’m stuck on the road with two pretty girls who boss me around.”

“Shut up…”

She did feel sorry for him, poor soul. He was outnumbered. It was like two she-wolves taking down a stag. Picking on him was no sport at all.

“Gendry?” Arya said mockingly sweet.

He grunted in response.

“Would you like to go swimming today?”

He glanced at her sideway and nodded “Yeah.”

“Then pull in up at this turn, right up there.”

In the parking lot there was a litte green car that wouldn’t start. Sansa stopped on there way to the water and glanced in the window curiously.

The person trying to start the car was a girl about her age with a pretty heart shaped face, pretty long brown hair and pretty warm brown eyes. With her was a squat young boy with black hair. They made an odd pair.

“Gendry,” Sansa said “Should we help them? You know about cars.”

“Yeah I guess so.” he headed back to the truck for his tools.

“Do they look like we could take them if we had to?” Arya said coming up beside her. 

“Arya! That‘s not very neighborly.”

“It’s not very stupid either.”

Sansa ran up beside the car and knocked on the drivers side window. The girl rolled her window down “Yes?”

“Hi, erm, my friend over there is good with cars. We’re going to help you out.”

She smiled “Oh that’s wonderful! I’m Margaery,” she reached her hand out the window to shake Sansa’s hand.

“Sansa.”

“I love your sunglasses Sansa. I might have to steal them from you.”

She giggled “Thank you. I got them at this kiosk at the mall back outside Belfast.”

“Ireland?”

“No, no just Maine. We’re from Maine.”

After Gendry came over and had a look at the car he found there wasn’t anything he could do for it. It needed to be towed. 

“Thank you so much for trying,” she said pulling a cell phone out of her pocket “Me and Hot Pie here,” he bumped her hip into her companion “We were fixing to head out, but I guess we’ll just have another swim while we wait won‘t we hot pie?”

“Alright with me, just getting a little hungry is all…”

“Well I’ll buy us a whole two pizzas when we get back to town,” she grinned putting the phone to her ear “That’s what daddy’s credit card is for.” 

The three of them got changed in the ladies room, which was disgusting. The floor was covered in sandy mud. Sansa wore her white string bikini and let Arya have her older black one. Arya still wore her shorts over the bottoms. Margaery’s one piece was blue and flowery with slashes up the sides. Very pretty 

The day was sunny and the sky was unendingly blue. The water was clean and soft and the farther out Sansa swam the cooler it was. It was a big relief to stench out her legs in the cold water after spending all day cooped up in the hot truck. Sometimes she felt fish brush against her bare legs, or aquatic flora find it’s way between her toes.

The beach was deserted but for them.

“Hey!” Margaery called waving both her arms at her and Arya who were further from the shore “Do you guys want to play chicken?”

“Okay!” Sansa called back. By the time she got over the Marge was already on her friend’s shoulders. “Arya!” she called back “Do you want to be on top first or the bottom!”

“I’ll carry you first,” she called back heading over “I don’t know if I want to be on top at all.”

“I can pick you up,” Gendry offered. 

Sansa wrung her hands. She didn’t know this boy well enough for his head to be between her legs in any sense at all “It’s alright, Really. I want to try and get Arya to play with us.”

“But she’s so little.”

“Not really, we’ve been playing chicken together against our brothers sense she was ten.”

“And you always lose don’t you?”

“Well yeah…it’s still fun though.”

“Okay, I‘ll just referee for now.”

Arya let Sansa onto her shoulders and the struggle began. Sansa and the other girl grabbed at each others wet arms, both trying to push the other under. As Margae was starting to get Sansa threw both her arms around her neck and held onto her tightly. 

“If I go down!” she said between giggles “I’m taking you with me!”

Arya began to back up causing the other girl to start her tumble down. Just as Sansa was letting her go of her neck she grabbed onto hers and they both plunged into the water together, holding onto each other and squealing. 

Sansa liked Margaery. She liked her pretty blue floral one piece swim suit with the slashes up the sides. She liked the way she smiled. She liked how friendly she was, how nice she was and how confident she was. Margaery was a rock star.

“So,” Margaery turned to Gendry “Who won Ref?”

“Looked like Sansa hit the water first to me.”

“Alright!” she said throwing her hands up “Who’s next?”

It was Arya who was next. Arya climbed up onto Gendry’s shoulders instead of her own after Gendry said he wanted a chance to play. By the looks of it, Arya wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable with the arrangement as she would have been, which Sansa was glad to see. 

“On your mark!” Sansa called, a much more theatrical referee than Gendry “Get set!…Go!”

The two girls went to work trying to throw the other into the water. Margaery was taller then Arya, but Arya was strong and gendry’s height over Hot Pie’s evened out the difference anyway. Arya was pushing her back and she and Hot Pie began to fall. Margaery reached out desperately, and without meaning to she snapped Arya’s top down the middle before collapsing into the water. 

Sansa gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. Margaery sprang up out of the water spewing apologies, then everyone went silent.

“What happened?” said Gendry who hadn’t looked up.

Arya’s arms snapped around her chest just before he did. She looked horrified for a moment, then pulled herself together.

“Victory!” she screamed “Thy name is boobs!” 

Most everyone laughed but Gendry, who seemed bashful at the realization that he was wearing a topless girl as a scarf. 

Arya tied up her top in the front and swam out to the beach to fetch her shirt. 

“Your sister is funny,” Margaery told her gleefully. 

“I think she’s more embarrassed than she lets on.” Sansa said quietly.

She became more concerned and nodded “Well then let’s go take care of her.”

Sansa had been right, but the presence of herself and their new friend did not help her. She wanted to shake off the embarrassment by herself and so the two girls walked down the beach. 

“I am really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to I promise.”

“I know you didn’t… Arya is prideful though. I don’t think she’ll be forgiving you for that.”

“I’m sorry to hear it…listen,” she said pausing “You’re on your way to L.A. and I need to get my friend Hot Pie back to Chicago. That’s where I found him you see. I mean, I do have my daddy’s credit card so I can do it if I need to but you know…Could we ride with you? You know, for the environment.”

“For the environment?” Sansa grinned. 

“AND I’d just like to get to know you better.”

“I think I’d like that very much…But Gendry’s truck is only a three seat-er.”

“I'll volunteer to ride in the bed!” she suggested.

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“No no no. Most states you just have to be 18 to ride in the bed of a truck, some states it‘s not illegal at all.” 

“I’m only 17.”

“Well you could pass for 18 for sure. We could let Hot Pie ride inside the truck until Chicago and you could ride with me. It’ll be fun!”

Normally Sansa wouldn’t have agreed to sit in the bed of a moving truck in a million years, but with Margaery she thought she might just do it. 

“That sounds great. I’ll do it… We’ll just have to Convince Gendry is all.”

“I’ll volunteer to pay the gas bill as well,” Margaery smiled big, and repeated what was apparently her catch phrase “That’s what Daddy's credit card is for!”


	3. Fight Like a Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya busts a couple of noses and we meet Daddy.

Whenever it was Sansa’s turn to drive Arya would sit on the passengers side and wear Sansa’s red heart framed sunglasses. She would lean out the window and trail her sheer coffee colored scarf in the wind while listening to one of Sansa‘s mixed cd’s.

Whenever it was Gendry’s turn to drive she traded places with Hot Pie and sat in the middle nursing a luke-warm bottle of water. She would dunk her scarf in the water cooler before wrapping it around her head and while trying to tolerate the stench of two sweaty boys.

She couldn’t decide which she liked better. 

She did like sitting next to Gendry. There was a nice sort of bother too it. Like…It was nice how frustrated he looked when he was driving, which he was very bad at. She liked his dark hair and his strong arms. She even liked the stench of him sometimes. Other times not so much. 

Margaery didn’t get a turn to drive, because Gendry didn’t trust her to drive his truck. He hardly trusted her to be in his truck at all and Arya agreed with him. She was suspicious somehow, she didn’t like her one bit. Not having a turn driving meant she stayed in the cargo bed always however, so she tolerated her then. 

It was harder to tolerate her at night when the three girls shared a room. She and Sansa would whisper and giggle. She would kick them and tell them to go to sleep but it did hardly any good. She guessed she wasn’t kicking them hard enough. 

“I’m a bit hungry,” she told Gendry unwinding the scarf from around her face “What about you?”

“Yeah me too. We’re making a stop for gas soon, we can grab something for lunch at the station then.”

“Alright. I could kill for some real food though. Should go somewhere for a proper dinner tonight?”

“I don’t see why not. We’re saving a ton on gas because of Margaery.”

“And her Daddy’s credit card. What’s the deal with that anyway?” she turned to Hot Pie “What’s her family do?”

“I think she said her they own some peach groves in Georgia.”

“That sounds…” Arya didn’t know the word for it. She wanted to say convenient. It sounded like when Margery was on the spot she remembered seeing a Georgia license plate and made up a story. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t think of the right word however, because her cell phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hello sweetie.” It was her mother “How are you and your sister?”

“We’re alright. Making good time so far.”

“Can I talk to your sister?” 

“Erm,” she glanced back at Sansa and Margaery. Her mother would hear the wind rippling. “She can’t talk just now, we’re at a rest stop and she’s in the bathroom.”

“Alright, well tell her to call me later then. I love you.”

“Love you too Mom.”

“D’aww,” mocked hot pie “someone wuvs their mo- OW OW OW OW!”

She had pulled his hair hard.

“What was that?” her mother asked. 

“Nothing, just torturing someone.”

She sighed “That’s normal. Bye sweetheart!”

“Bye.”

Arya started fiddling with the radio.

“What are you doing?” Gendry asked.

“Finding some music.” She found a station that was starting to play 500 miles by the proclaimers and sat back hissing “Yesssss.”

“You like this song?” asked Hot Pie.

“Everyone likes this song,” she said knowingly. 

“I don’t like it,” he replied. 

“You’re a liar. EVERYONE likes this song.”

She grinned at Gendry when she caught him bobbing his head to the music, and sure enough Hot Pie started singing under his breath. Quietly at first, then a bit louder. 

Until they were all screaming in unison “AND I WOULD WALK 500 MILES - AND I WOULD WALK 500 HUNDRED MORE! JUST TA BE THA MAN WHO WALKED A 1000 MILES TO FALL DOWN AT YOUR DOOR! DADADA DA!”

When they stopped for gas Margaery went to pay, Sansa stayed glued to her, Gendry stayed at the pump, Hot Pie stayed with him and Arya went to find all the snacks and things that had been requested. Little Debbie lemon pie and a raspberry lemonade for Sansa. One of those lethal looking hot dogs in the roller for Gendry. Pudding pie cake for Hot Pie. Green tea for Margery. For herself she got a soda, and also settled for a lethal looking hot dog. It was the realest looking food in the place. 

When she went to pay Margaery was still at the front looking around nervously. She stopped her “I’ve got this hun,” she said setting some bills on the counter “That’s what Daddy’s credit card is for.”

The man at the counter took the money “That’s not a credit card,” Arya said. 

Margaery shrugged “I got a cash advance.”

“…Why?”

“MARGAERY?” boomed a voice from the back of the store. 

She whipped around to look at a big man no hair. 

“Big Daddy! How’s it goin’” she squeaked nervously.

“…That’s your father?”

“No,” she scooped up all the food she could carry in her arms and ran “Keep the change!”

Arya picked up the rest and ran after her with Big Daddy behind them. 

“Get in the truck! start the truck! NOW!” Margaery commanded. 

Sansa had already been reclining in the back, she sat up alarmed. Hot Pie jumped in the passengers side and slammed the door shut. Gendry ran around and cranked it up.

Margaery threw the food in before jumping in herself. Arya struggled more, not wanting to drop the hot dogs. The man caught her ankle as she hung half out of the truck. Without thinking she turned and kicked him in the nose with her free leg. Margaery dragged her back into the truck while Sansa banged on the glass between them and the boys shouting “GO! GO! GO!”

Margaery shut the bed of the truck as they sped away while the man lay bleeding on the ground. 

Arya passed a hot dog to Sansa shocked “Give that to Gendry would you.”

“What the hell was that about?!?!” Gendry yelled as soon as she opened the glass.

“I don’t know!” Margaery yelled “Just some big scary creep!” She looked to Arya desperately. Arya nodded along, still a little shocked.

Margaery sat down next to Arya “It’s okay,” she whispered “I had an eye out for that guy back there. It’s near where he lives, he wont even follow as far as Chicago. He can’t! I took his car!”

Arya’s eyes widened. She thought of her conversation with her mother that morning. She hadn’t even wanted her mother to know Sansa was riding in the cargo bed.

“We have to drive through the night!” Arya yelled. 

“Why?” Sansa yelled back.

“Because Magaery’s crazy psycho killer friend is after us and this road trip is about to turn into Texas Chainsaw 3D.”

“What?!”

The truck made and odd noise.

“What?!?!?” Sansa screamed again “No, no, no, no…”

They came sputtering to a stop.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Gendry was able to patch up whatever the problem was well enough that they could drive for a while, although he might have fixed it faster if Sansa haden’t been jumping up and down next to him to hury before leather face comes. Then they did drive through the night. In fact Gendry accidentally drove them all the way around Chicago and into Naperville. They stopped at a Holiday Inn.

“Maybe we should go home,” said Sansa blearily climbing out of the bed of the truck. She had fallen asleep in Margaery’s lap with the girl stroking her hair. 

“We’re already half way there,” Gendry said setting his toolbox down, ready to give the truck a more permanent fix. 

“Yeah, and you’d just have to pass right through that town again.” Margaery said. 

“You don’t get a vote,” Arya snapped bitterly “It’s your fault all of this happened.”

“It’s not her fault Arya!” Sansa scolded “She didn’t even know that man.”

“Yes she did! He-”

Hot Pie interrupted her “You just don’t like Margary because she accidentally set your tits free.”

It was half a second later he regretted those words, because that was when Arya’s fist slammed into his nose. It gushed forth with blood. 

“OWW,” he howled on the ground. 

She was about to follow him down and give him worse but Gendry snatched her up and held her back.

“Oh Hot Pie are you alright?!” Margaery said trying to help him up.

“It’s okay… I had that coming.”

“You REALLY did didn‘t you? Now come on. Up, up. Let’s get you taken care of.” Margaery and Sansa helped him inside.

“You gonna put me down?” she asked wiggling her flip flopped feet.

“I dunno. You gonna run in and give Hot Pie a mouthful of knuckle sandwich?”

She grinned “No.”

“Come on then.” he said sitting her down and patting her on the back “Help me with the truck.”

“I don’t know anything about trucks and cars and all that really.”

“You don’t need to. I just need someone to start her up for me.”

Arya ran round to the drivers side “It’s a girl then, what’s her name?”

He laughed “Um, I didn’t really mean the trucks a girl. She- it doesn’t have a name.”

“Well she should then.”

“It’s juvenile,” he said opening the hood. 

“It’s fun! Let’s see, there’s Sandy. Chelsea. Candy-”

“-Not naming the truck.”

“Alright,” she opened the drivers side door and sat down with her feet hanging out the side “…you know that man really did know her!” she yelled

“How do you know that?”

“Because he knew her name.”

“Did anyone call her by her name out in front of him?”

“Oh…I might have actually.”

“I think we’re all just frustrated and tired. We should stay in the city for a while, we’ve got time for it. Rest up here, take Hot Pie home.”

“So you don’t think Margaery is dangerous?”

“I don’t know she helps. I don’t think her parents own any peach groves in Georgia but I don’t think she’s dangerous. She’s a liar but I think she’s harmless. Your sister likes her, and she helps out.”

“You know what I think,” Arya declared, carelessly swinging her feet “I think that you and Sansa and Hot Pie and everyone else just liked her because she’s a pretty person and pays for things.”

“So what? You’re pretty. Your family has money. We don‘t hold it against you. - Damn it!” Arya saw his shirt land off to the side of the truck.

“What happened?”

“I got grease on my shirt being stupid…”

“Well SANSA is the pretty one. You’re getting us mixed up. I‘m the mean one who fights like a girl.”

“You are a girl.”

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing…do you think Sansa is pretty?”

“Yeah, Sansa’s pretty. Her hair reminds me of spaghetti actually, and I don‘t know why.”

Arya laughed “That’s funny.”

“But you’re pretty too. Sansa’s pretty, Margaery’s pretty.”

“What about Hot Pie?”

“Well they don’t call him HOT Pie for nothing,” Gendry joked “Crank the truck.”

Arya did. 

“Alright turn it off.”

She did and took the key out of the ignition.

“I think…I think we’re good to go. That was easy.” He slammed the hood down “I think it was-” She completely stopped listening. Not only was he speaking in car lingo, he was standing there all greasy and sweaty and shirtless. Hot damn. 

“…why are you looking at me like that?”

Arya had been chewing on her thumb and grinning. She stopped “Nothing. I was just thinking I have no idea what any of that stuff means.”

“Well I’ll show you some time, it’s useful. I’ve saved a lot of money fixing this old hunk of junk myself.”

She tossed him his keys “Sure.”

He caught them and picked up his shirt and started off “Alright cool. Well I’m just going to-”

“Hey wait!” she called “You should come look at this. This mileage dial things…it’s uh, it’s stuck on 50 for some reason. Didn‘t you notice?”

“Are you serious?!”

She nodded and moved back into the middle seat. 

He ran over, jumped in and slammed the door. He started to put the key in the ignition “Maybe if I just-” he stopped “Arya there’s nothing wrong with the gauge.”

“I know,” she said “I just wanted you to come sit with me.”

“Well you could have just asked. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong.” He wasn’t a very smart boy was he? She lost her nerve. “Never mind, I think it was just heat stroke or menopause something.” She started to get out the passengers side. 

“Menopause? What?” caught her arm gently with a work roughened hand “Wait a second-”

She sprang back around like a boomerang throwing a leg over his lap. 

They just sat there nose to nose for a minute before he leaned in to kiss her.

But as she leaned back on the steering wheel the horn sounded and they both banged there heads on the roof of the truck.


	4. Elevators and Stairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa rides the elevator before she and Margaery and go shopping and have a near death experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that I am not happy with this chapter at all. There isn't much that I like about it but it's been bugging me not having it done so I'm going to post it and move on for now. I will probably go back and re-write it later, but it's not a priority right now.

After sending Hot Pie up stairs with his the boys key card and some paper towels for his nose Sansa marched back toward the parking lot in synch with Margaery. On their way out however Arya was rushing in, her own black roller case behind her and Sansa’s Lisa Frank back pack over one shoulder. She rubbed her head with her free hand. 

Sansa broke away from Margaery, falling into step beside her sister. 

“I think you should apologize to Margaery. She was just as frightened as you were. It‘s not fair to blame it all on her, you‘ll hurt her feelings.”

“I‘ll do it later,” Arya said with a sigh as they stepped into the elevator “What floor?”

“Ten.”

Arya pressed ten.

“Hey! Hold the door!”

Arya then repeatedly mashed the close doors button. Gendry didn’t make it.

“What did you do that for?”

Arya shrugged “I dunno. I’m just sick of him for today.”

“Kay…It’s a nice elevator, it makes a little ping sound when you hit the right floor.”

“That is nice.”

“…Margaery likes you you know. She thinks your clever and funny.”

“She likes YOU.” Arya said quietly and thoughtfully “She tells you that she likes me because I’m your little sister…Sansa‘s little sister.”

“I don’t think so,” she said sincerely “I think she really dose.”

Ayra shrugged and they rode the rest of the way up in silence. When the elevator doors opened Arya held a hand over one side “Do you have the room key?”

Sansa fished around in the pocket of her black high wasted shorts before handing Arya the key card. She headed off.

“Arya?”

She turned to look at her. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said with a shrug “just tired.” 

“Okay…well if you have a nap make it a short one. We should try and stay awake until tonight.”

Arya nodded and Sansa let the doors shut between them as she headed back down.

On the 6th floor A man wheeling a cart full of toilet paper and towels joined her on her descent to the lobby. After he wheel his way out Gendry (who had been waiting) stepped in with his green duffle bag and Hot Pie‘s old brown suit case.

“Hey,” she breathed.  
“Hey, what floor?”

“Ten…” 

He punched the button.

“Where’s Margaery?”

“Chatting with someone in the lobby.”

“Do you know what’s up with Arya?”

He glanced back quickly as the elevator closed “What do you mean?”

“Well earlier she was FUMING, then when she came in she was just like-” Sansa went limp like a rag doll and sighed against the wall of the elevator.

He shrugged looking away again “Maybe she’s tired.”

“That’s what she told me but she was also mashing that close door button earlier.”

“Did you know most of those are placebo buttons?”

“What?”

“Placebo buttons. They don’t really do anything, they’re just there to make people feel better.”

He was just changing the subject. She reached around him and pulled the emergency stop. Then she crossed her arms over her chest “What happened?”

He rolled his eyes “Am I on trial?”

“You might be. What happened to Arya?”

“Nothing.”

“…I don’t believe you.”

“Well I don’t guess it matters if you do. Doesn’t change that I’m not lying.” he mashed the ten button with his thumb and the elevator started back up.

She pulled the emergency stop again “Did something almost happen.”

“Oh for fucks sake Sansa! You’re going to break it!” he mashed the ten button and they were off again.

“Did something almost happen?!”

He sighed in frustration and wiped a hand across his face leaving a trail of inky black “Maybe,” he admitted.

“What do you mean maybe?!”

The elevator door opened and he rushed out “Just ask your sister alright?”

“Well maybe I will,” she steped out in the hallway with one arm in the elevator “And if you did something to her I’ll get you Gendry waters! And your little dog too!”

He looked back at her confused “I don’t have a dog, and I didn’t do anything.” He knocked for Hot Pie.

“You might be bigger than me but you have to sleep sometime, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring with me a pointy reckoning!”

“Is that from The Crucible?”

“MAYBE!” she stomped back into the elevator and took it too the lobby. Margery was waiting at the bottom smiling.

“They’ve got everything here I’m telling you. Are you hungry?”

Sansa nodded. 

“Well come on! They’ve got a breakfast buffet. It probably wont be very good, but it’s free with our room and it’s there,” she led her through by her hand “now what’s troubling you?”

“I’m just worried about Arya,” Sansa couldn’t help but yawn then,they had been awake so long “Oh dear I’m tired! I took the elevator up with Gendry as well and I yelled at him.”

“You did?”

She nodded “Yeah, I kind of flipped my lid. I really let him have it…I don’t like him. He’s rude and stubborn. I don’t even know him really! And now were stranded with him in the middle of nowhere. Oh this whole trip was a stupid idea.”

“No it’s not. It’s a fun trip. We’re all just tired and sick of one another. Do you drink coffee?”

Sansa nodded eagerly “Yeah. I love coffee. Especially Starbucks, but I like it at home too when we have good creamer.”

“Well let’s see if they have some. It’ll wake us up.”

“My Dad takes his black, can you believe that?”

“Yuck!” Margaery made a face.

The room with breakfast was full of sunlight and people.

“I want to do something fun today,” Margaery said between bites of grapefruit “What do you want to do?”

“It’s so pretty outside. I’d love to enjoy the sunshine. If we weren’t land locked I’d say the ocean.”

“They have a pool here but it’s inside. Not much sunshine.”

Sansa shook her head “Yeah, I don‘t think so.”

“You know what, do you like shopping?”

“I love it.”

“We could go to that big outlet mall in Aurora? The one with all the fancy shops.”

“Oh that sounds like loads of fun! Are we near there?”

Margeary nodded “Yeah, it’s only like ten minutes away.”

The two girls spent the day walking in and out of shops. They tried on clothes and shoes and had a picnic in the shade outside the food court. Sansa's favorite find a big floppy sun hat (which was a good thing, because this trip was starting to turn her cheeks pink.) Margaery found some green knee-high cowboy boots for a bargain. She loved them so much that she wore them out of the store. 

“Oh shoot!” Sansa said picking up a retro Metriod book bag “We should have brought Arya! She would have liked this!”

“Well we’ll have to get her a few things for her wont we?”

They got back to the hotel a little late and made there way up the elevator with arms full of shopping bags.

“That was a blast. Thanks for coming with me Sansa.”

“Thanks for thinking of it,” Sansa said brushing the tag that still hung from her hat out of her eyes “I’m so tired though. I’m glad I won’t have to wake up for Sunday mass with my Mom.”

“You’re catholic?”

Sansa nodded “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry if this is a stupid question…Do you and your sister go to like a catholic high school?”

“Yeah. You don‘t have to be catholic to go to one though.”

“…Do they um…make you wear one of those little outfits?”

Sansa rolled her eyes “Oh god, not this again.”

“No, no, no - I’m just trying to picture it!”

“I’M NOT A SEXY CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRL! The skirts go past our knees! It‘s not like what you are thinking.”

“Oh god, I bet you guys look so hot.”

“Do I look like I’d look hot in a plaid jumper? I’m a ginger bean pole! I look like a dweeb in my school clothes.”

“No way, you’d look like a little Irish Catholic sex pixie.”

“I’m not even Irish-”

“You look like it though! You’re a pink and ginger!”

“That’s racist. This is - that’s so lame Margaery. You’re being a total Lameopotomous.”

“Lameopotomous?”

“Yeah. Total lameousaurous rex.”

The elevator lurched to a stop and Sansa heard the fire alarm. The elevator started to lower to the ground floor.

“What do we do?” Sansa asked allowed. 

“Nothing. The elevator will take us down to the ground floor.”

“What about Arya?”

“We’ll meet up with them in the parking lot. I bet they’ll be by the truck.”

The elevator stopped again. The fire alarm kept going.

“Why are we stopping?”

“I don’t know, calm down,” Sansa watched Margaery walk over to the control panel and press the alarm button. There was no response. She pressed the lobby button. Nothing. She tried the alarm button again. 

“Hello?” came a voice on the intercom.

“HELP! HEEELP!” Sansa yelled.

“My friend and I are stuck in the elevator!”

“Okay. Remain calm, we’ll get you out of there.” 

Sansa dropped her shopping bags and slid down into the corner. 

Margaery followed her and put an arm around her “It’s okay. I bet it’s not even a big fire.”

The lights in the elevator went off and Sansa screamed.

“It’s going to be okay,” Margaery rubbed her arms “It’s just the lights.”

The elevator dropped before jolting to a stop again which made Sansa bite her tongue. It made a loud groning sound. Sansa started to panic. 

“Sansa!” she held her face in her hands “Sansa I want you to listen to me! I want you to know something!”

Sansa nodded.  
“I’ve been falling in love with you!”

Sansa calmed down for a moment “What? What are you talking about?”

“I said I’m starting to fall in love with you!”

The elevator jolted again “You’re just trying to distract me! You don’t have to do that!”

“No!” Margaery kissed the tears off of her face “It’s the truth! I’m falling in love with you! I wanted to keep you! I wanted to take you home with me! I wanted to take you home to my grandma’s house because that’s where you belong! You belong on my old swing set in the back yard with the magnolias and wild roses and the honey suckle because you’re sweet and you smell like summer time!” she tangled her fingers up in her hair and held her close “I wanted to keep you Sansa! I wanted to put you away at my grandma’s house with flowers in your pretty hair and keep you all for me!”

The lights flickered on and Sansa felt the elevator start to descend slowly.

“Oh…It looks like we’re going to live,” Margaery grinned slyly “What do you think about that Sansa?”

Sansa sniffed and looked around with wet red eyes “I’m pretty sure that is…literally the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“Then you don’t have nearly enough people standing around telling you pretty words.”

She smiled still teary, and leaned forward kissing Margeary lightly on the cheek, both of them underneath the brim of her own floppy black hat “Thank you for saying it.”

“Are you falling in love with me too?” Margaery asked her.

She had asked it with a grin, and like it was the easiest thing in the world for her to say “I don’t know,” Sansa responded “I haven’t thought about it. I might be.”

“Well,” Margeary said, giddily gathering shopping bags “How about you sleep on it and get back to me?”

“Kay...”

There were fire men and staff in the lobby, and the girls told them about the elevator, before heading into the parking lot. The other were waiting next to the truck just as Margaery had predicted. Arya, who had been having a bath before the fire alarm went off, stood sopping wet in a hotel bath robe. Hot pie, with his twin black eyes stood in a tee-shirt and basketball shorts. Gendry was barefoot in blue plaid pajama pants. They had both been asleep.

On their way up the stair case (because the elevator was now out of order) someone tried to have a look up Arya’s robe, and after she shoved them down a full flight of stairs Gendry carried her up the rest of the way so no one else would. She seemed very indigent about the whole ordeal.

“I’m sick to death of everyone trying to see all my wiggly bits without my permission on this trip, MARGAERY I’m also talking about you.”

Margaery shrugged “Sorry. I still say it was an accident.

“Accident or not, it’s getting very frustrating.”

When Arya was back I her luke warm bubble bath and Sansa was done brushing her teeth, she sat on the bathroom counter and asked Arya about her day. 

“It was okay I guess. I didn’t take a nap like you said. Watched cartoon network, ordered room service.”

Sansa raised her eye brows “Room service?”

“Yeah. I had a twenty-five dollar burger and baked cheese cake. Take me shopping with you next time, it’ll be cheaper.”

“Oh yeah, I got you some presents while I was out. I got you…an anklet, and a back pack with that video game you like so much on it, and a cool pair of sunglasses. They’re like blues brothers type sunglasses.”

Arya smiled “Cool.”

“So what happened this morning?”

“Oh that, I’m so stupid.” she slipped down into the bath water before splashing back up “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“No, you scared me this morning. I want to know what happened.”

“Ugh,” she covered her face with her hands “I tried to kiss Gendry.”

“Why!? He’s so gross.”

“No he‘s not.”

“Yuck, ugh. Grossopotomus to the max. What triggered this? Why did you want to kiss him?”

“…Because I felt like it?”

“Well that’s not a very good reason.”

“I think it’s a perfectly fine reason.” she gathered some bubbles onto her face like a beard “What do you think is a good reason then?”

Sansa leaned back pulling at her pony tail “You should kiss someone when you…well when think you might be falling in love with them.”

“You’re such a sap.”

“Oh what? Are you going to tell me about all the not sappy reasons for kissing?”

Arya shrugged “Well it doesn’t matter. He didn’t want to.”

“Well good, he’s too old for you.”

“Is not, he’s only two years older!”

“And that’s too old for you. What did he say?”

“Okay, so he was rubbing his forehead and he says-”

“-Wait, why was her rubbing his forehead?”

“Because he hit it on the roof of the truck.”

“How did he hit his head on the roof of the truck?”

“Well when he sort of like, leaned in to kiss me I accidentally pushed the car horn on the steering wheel and we both hit our heads.”

Sansa laughed. 

Arya rolled her eyes “So then he says ‘we should probably just go inside’ and he gets out of the car.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“Am not!”

“If he was the one about to kiss YOU then he wanted too. It sounds like he just didn’t want to kiss you LIKE THAT.”

“Like what?” 

“In a stinky old car after driving all night and hitting your heads that’s how. It’s not very romantic.”

“Gendry isn’t romantic.”

“Maybe he is! Besides, I challenge even the most cynical people to be totally practical in love. You should have your first kiss with someone after you get to know them and after you know you‘re in love with them, and it should be on a farris wheel with fireworks and moonlight!”

She saw Arya roll her eyes.

“Anyway put it out of your mind. If I catch him even looking at you funny I’ll skin him alive.”


	5. You'll Get Pregnant and Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We say goodbye to Hot Pie and hello to Gendry in his underpants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much happier with this chapter, even if it is kind of short :)

Arya leaned back in the booth, cheese stretching from her mouth to the slice of pizza, sauce dripping on the table. The cheese broke, slapping her chin with red sauce. She slurped it up “This is the best pizza I have ever had!”

“Best in town,” Hot Pie agreed.

Sansa was struggling with her slice and a napkin, trying to eat as neatly as possible. Margaery ate with the same skill as Hot Pie. Gendry was working on a third slice, tearing into it angrily. Hot Pie’s mother had given them one for breakfast house. 

Arya was sadder to see him go than she thought she might have been “Do you have a gamer tag?” She asked him.

“Yeah sure.”

Margaery gave Hot Pie a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and the group bid him farewell.

“See you in mine craft or something!” Arya shouted with a wave before she let the door shut behind them.

“Do you have Xbox live?” Arya asked Gendry as they climbed back into the truck. 

“I have a Nintendo 64?”

“Oh wow,” Arya said buckling her seat belt “I haven’t actually played an N64 since I was like four.”

“Well it’s still as awesome as you remember.” they pulled away from the curb and started their drive out of Chicago.

“Me Sansa and Jon would play Mario Party a lot.” she told him “He’d always be Mario, I’d be Luigi and Sansa would be Peach. Sometimes Rob would play and I’d have to be Yoshi, but usually it was us three. Then there was Super Smash Bros., Golden Eye.” she smiled “Mom didn’t like me and Jon playing Golden Eye.”

“If I ever played video games with anyone else it was my Mom or some friends from school. Usually I’d play by myself.”

“You didn’t have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nah, none of them lived with me anyway. You probably know all them better than I do.”  
“Oh yeah. They come over every now and again. Like if my Dad and yours are watching a game or something.”

“That Joffrey’s kind of a dick huh?”

She laughed “Yeah, I can’t stand that fucker.”

“The two little one’s aren’t bad though. I don‘t mind them.”

“Yeah, they’re sweethearts. They play with Rickon sometimes but usually they stay glued to aunt Cersi, you know how little kids are.”

He shook his head “I don’t like that woman.”

“What for?”

“She’s just mean, she doesn’t like me. I mean I get WHY but-”

“-Yeah, it’s not your fault. Is that why you came over?…”

“Yeah her and the old man got into it over me that morning.”

Arya was quiet for a moment “How come we’d never met you before then though?” She probably shouldn’t have been prying, but she couldn’t help it.

“Uh well, my existence is kind of a resent development as far as erm - Dad’s…concerned,” he laughed “and it’s all kind of news to me too. It‘s stupid. See um…me and my Mom had been talking about college?”

Arya nodded

“I’m not so good at school, I mean I do alright. Not nearly as good as my mom would like and it’s always been kind of a problem with us.”

“How come?”

He shrugged “She just wants me to do good at school, better than she did.”

“Oh.”

“And yeah so next year is junior year and all and we were talking about college…See I think I might want to do auto tech or business school? We were talking about maybe a grant would help or something else and she says practically out of nowhere ‘you know what, I bet I can get your father to help.’”

“Oh wow.”

“Yeah. I was pretty four square against it at first but I was also kind of curious? And I was angry too, I didn’t know his family had money. I never thought about him having other kids who were better off and it’s like…I’m 17. I’m practically all grown up and me and my Mom have gotten totally fucked over. So I said, you know what? Fine. He can help. It won’t be a big deal, I don’t want to not go to school because I was scared or angry or prideful. I didn’t think about what his wife would think of it. That woman HATES me. She thinks I’m trash. And I am I guess, I’m nobody special and I‘m out for money that’s half hers.”

“…I don‘t think you’re trash.”

He shrugged “Whatever…”

He was angry… Arya drummed her fingers on the door, eager to change the subject “So do you want to open a mechanic’s shop or something? Is that why you want to do that kind of school?”

He nodded “Yeah.”

“I think that’s cool.”

“I just want to work for myself - or maybe with a couple other people. Working on cars doesn’t seem like it would be work at all.” He smiled “What do you wanna to do?”

She shrugged “I don’t know yet.”

“You’ve got Plenty of time to figure it all out…what kind of stuff do you like?”

“Hmm…I like video games and I like soccer…”

“Is there anything you always wanted to try? Never got a chance too.”

“Fencing and horseback riding. Also theater…I could join a theatrical cavalry!”

“Well like I said, plenty of time. Maybe your school has a fencing team. You could get an athletic scholarship doing that, or for doing soccer.”

“I guess so,” Arya huffed before she leaned back in her seat and rolled her window down. It was still early in the morning. The sun wasn’t quite up yet, and so the city was cast in a dim purply blue. It was quiet. 

‘Sansa’s little sister’ she thought to herself. It bothered her, the whole ‘I have it figured out and you have plenty of time,’ bit. She couldn’t articulate quite why, but that’s what came to mind. ‘Sansa’s little sister, Sansa’s litter sister.’

She was frustrated with Sansa and she wasn’t even in the car!

“Plenty of people your age are still listless,” she decided finally.

He nodded “Yeah there are. Not much time left to decide.”

“Sure there is, there’s a whole two school years.”

“It’s not quite the same as three or four is it?”

Arya rolled her eyes and trailed her fingers in the wind outside the car, giving the boy a sideways glance. You could have seen the wheels turning behind her eyes.

‘I should do something devious,’ she thought to herself ‘something manipulative and diabolical and mustache twirly. Some strait up evil seductress villain shit.’

They rolled into a stop light and he looked to her, suspicious “What are you thinking about?”

“Cotton candy,” she answered too quickly.

“Cotton candy?”

She nodded “I was thinking…how I haven’t had any all summer. I missed the fair, that’s when I would have it…it’s just, it’s a summer time thing you know? It’s like eggnog at Christmas. I like the blue kind.”

“Me too,” he smiled again. 

‘Stop smiling,’ she thought but she smiled too. It was nice, she decided. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but it was nice.

That night Arya was occupying the very edge of the bed shivering the bed sheet, Margaery being sprawled across the middle snoring like a pig, she and Sansa hogging the comforter. Arya managed to hang on to the mattress with the girls elbow pressing into her spine, but during a brief sleep she was throw overboard, clutching to the white sheet banging her head on the way down.

She lay on the stained hotel room floor glaring up at the two of them blearily. They were asleep, and couldn’t help what they did, but Arya was still fuming. 

The worst part of it, Arya decided, was that while she was doomed to shiver on the floor the rest of the way to L.A. Gendry was free of Hot Pie, and had a whole room all to himself. He probably slept on his belly with a foot and a hand at each corner of the bed. 

Arya stood blearily, reaching for her aching head. She winced s her fingers met broken skin. She’d busted her head open!

Knowing there wasn’t a mirror in their bathroom she stumbled round to Sansa’s side of the bed and shook her “Sansa…Sansa wake up.”

She didn’t move. 

Arya tried again “Come on.”

Her sister groaned and stirred, but did not wake. 

She shook her again “Sansa!”

She threw her hand away from her abruptly, still mostly asleep.

Arya bit her lip and drew a fist back to clock her, but then thought better of it. Arya had kicked Sansa in the stomach before for waking her, and figured she owed her this one. Instead she left the room all together.

She blinked her way down the brightly lit hallway and leaned to Gendry’s door, eyes shut and face down, banging on the door with the palm of her hand repeatedly. She didn’t let up. THIS well rested mother fucker was going to wake the fuck up.

When the door came open underneath her it did so without warning. She caught herself on the door frame and Gendry caught her shoulder before she fell.

“What is it?” Gendry stood there blinking at her in his boxers.

She pulled her hair back to reveal the wound “Is it bad? I can‘t see it.”

“Oh Christ,” he flipped on the light switch in his room and led her in by her arm. They sat on the bed and he had a closer look “Your bleeding down your face, what happened?”  
“I got kicked out of the bed.”

He went to fetch some napkins from the bathroom “Where’s your sister?”

“She didn’t feel like waking up,” Arya said bitterly “Am I going to need stitches? 

“I hope not!” he called back with the sink running. When he came back and pressed a few dry the paper towels against her head “Hold that there.”

She did and he mopped the blood off of her face with the wet one “I’ll be able to see once your face stops bleeding. You feel dizzy or anything?”

“No just tired.”

He nodded and went to pull on his jeans “It’s not good to feel tired after hitting your head, but it is late. What’d you hit you head on?”

“Bedside table.”

Gendry sat down on the bed beside her and motioned for her to move the towels out of the way. 

“It’s not bleeding so bad now,” he reached up and touched her forehead. 

She flinched away with a sharp intake of breath.

“Sorry…yeah. You won’t need stitches sweetheart.”

“Nothing sweet about me.”

“Sure there is,” he objected reaching for his duffle bag. 

“I think I’d know if there was.”

“Well sometimes,” he said pulling a first aid kit from the bag “you need a different perspective to help you see things… ‘specially in a building without mirrors.”

“That’s a good idea,” she commented pointing to the kit. 

He pulled out some cotton and bacitracin and went to work on her forehead “My mom always makes me bring one.” He reached back into the kit and pulled out two boxes of band aids “Shrek or Zoo Animals?”

“Oh Shrek for sure.”

He stuck one on her forehead and starting putting everything away.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Arya stood up and headed for the door.

“Wait a sec, where are you going?”

“To go and sleep on the floor?”

He sighed “You don’t have to do that. Just sleep in here.”

She raised her eyebrows. 

“Look, you sleep wherever your comfortable - but I promise if you sleep in here you aren’t going to wake up 9 months pregnant.”

She narrowed her eyes “What about 6 months pregnant?”

“No you’ll be fine. In fact you will leave this room LESS pregnant than when you walked in. You will be negative pregnant.”

“What about STIs and STDs?”

He made a face “I can’t promise that. I don’t think they washed these sheets after the last people left, this is a really crappy hotel. I even found three lizards in the sink today.”   
“REALLY?”

“Yeah. One Lizard, I can understand. Three, there’s something up you know?”  
“I hear ya…well alright.” Arya flipped off the light switch before climbing into the bed and snuggling under the covers.

She was fairly beat, and thought she would be asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. But she couldn’t stop thinking. 

‘I like him more now,’ she thought to herself ‘this is a terrible idea. I bet I’m breathing funny. Stop breathing funny. Pretend he’s not there.’

But he was there, and he was TOTALLY in nothing but his underpants. 

‘I hate everything,’ she thought, before finally falling asleep.


	6. The Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits it

Margery:  
Her eyes fluttered open and she gave a cat like stretch and a yawn. She sat up in bed and Princess Sansa was still fast asleep with her back to the sunny window. Her ginger locks caught the rays and shined like something magic. 

Margery smiled and looked to her left...Where had Arya gotten too? Figuring she was in the bathroom, the brunette hopped out of bed and and threw on her light turquoise lace robe over her nightgown.

‘Maybe I’ll go blond tonight,’ she thought idly ‘it’s summer time, I should have gone back to blond a month ago. It’s so much more summery.’

She opened a book Arya had left on the table in the middle, filling in and imagining the context as she went, but as the minutes passed and Arya never came out of the bathroom she started to wonder. 

She tiptoed over and put an ear to the bathroom door...she heard nothing. she came over to the bed and found blood on the floor on Arya’s side of the bed. 

Her brown eyes darted from Sansa to the blood and then Sansa, and then the blood, and then Sansa, and then the blood. 

She made her way out the door quietly...

***  
Gendry:

Gendry woke up with someone elses head on his arm. He smirked and ran his free hand down his face. She was totally drooling on him too, her mouth smashed open on one side and her face all puffy from sleep.

A bit of her hair fell in front of her eyes and He moved to brush it back but she was starting to wake up so instead he jerked his arm out from under her head and poked her Shreak bandage.

“OOOWWWwwWWW,” Arya howled before throwing a bleary punch in his direction which he caught in his hand.

“Just checking to see if it still hurts,” he joked.

“You’re an asshole, I’m going to get you back for that.”

“I’m sure you will.”

There was a pounding on that door.

Arya sat bolt up right “That’ll be Sansa.” she then rolled off and under the bed.

Gendry stood up and answered the door. It was Margeary.

“Have you seen Arya?” she asked.

“Oh I thought you were my sister!” Arya said from under the bed before crawling out.

“Oh that goodness I thought you were dead!”

Gendry was confused, why was she trusting her all of the sudden?

Marge looked at the both of them then just at Arya “You totally got it in with Gendry!”

“No,no, no, no,no-” Gendry and Arya both rushed. 

“And technically speaking wouldn’t it be me that-”

“It’s just a figure of speech,” she turned back to Arya “Good job, that’s not bad.”

“No I...I didn’t get it in.”

“Oh please, I’m not going to tell,” Marge turned her head “Sansa! It’s Sansacoming get back under there.”

***  
Sansa

She rushed over to where Gendry and Margery were standing “Have either of you seen Arya?!” she asked urgently in her P.J.’s. She was crying.

“I think she popped down to get at the complimentary breakfast. Just some orange juice and those mini muffins I think.” Gendry said.

“But...but there was blood on the floor.”

Maybe her period snuck up on her,” Margery said with a shrug “It happens to the best of us.”

“But...” they were hiding something she could tell. She glanced in Gendry’s doorway and saw a little white foot sticking out from under the bed. 

“Oh you little monster!” she said charging into the room and grabbing her by the ankles “You made me worried!” she started pulling her out from under the bed “You made me cry! All because you were getting it in with Gendry!”

“But I wasn’t!”

There was a struggle of kicking feet and sansa’s heels sliding on the carpet. Eventually Arya was pulled out, but she slipped away and bolted out the door. Margery with her.

Sansa turned her eyes to Gendry, who rose both hands in the air. She walked over, slammed the door and pulled the bible out from the bedside drawer.

“Are you going to beat me with that?”

“No,I’m going to interrogate you with it!” she strode over and commanded he put his hand on it.

“Did you have sex with my little sister?”

“No! Gods no.”

“Why was there blood on the floor? What happened to her?”

“Marge kicked her out of the bed in her sleep and she busted her skin open on the table next to the bed.”

“Well why didn’t you take her to the E.R.? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“She said she tried waking you up, and she didn’t NEED to go to the E.R.”

“How do you know that then? Are you a doctor?”

He sighed and put his head down. 

“You should have known better. It’s not up to you whether my sister needs a doctor or not when she hits her head that hard. And you just let her fall asleep? You could have woken up with a corpse in your bed you idiot.”

He ran his hand down his face “You're right, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have just stuck a band-aid on it, that’s not my call.”

“I think you’re rotten,” Sansa said in disgust, her stomach turning “I think you took advantage of my half comatose sister and didn’t care whether or not she lived or died.”

Gendry looked genuinely crushed “I wouldn't do that, I was just trying to help...just go ask Arya.”

Sansa dropped the bible “Arya isn’t going to own up to you doing anything wrong. She’s 15 and stupid and she doesn't know what she doing and that’s exactly what you like about her.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh yeah, what’s her favorite song?”

“Er...Fuck You by Lilly Allen?”

“WRONG!”

“Bitch by Alanis morissette?”

“It’s Meredith Brooks you uncultured swine! I don’t get it, they don’t evensound the same!”

Gendry shrugged. 

“Well yes, that’s both of our favorites...What’s her PowerPuff girl?”

“Oh buttercup for sure!”

“Damn...Favorite movie?”

“Somethiiiing with Mila Joovoich?”

Sansa flinched.

“The fith element?”

“No.”

“Resident Evil?”

“Yeah, WHICH ONE!?”

“Hmmm...Apocalypse?”

“Damn it that’s right...What was she for halloween last year?”

“Erm... a witch?”

“Nope!”

“Black Widow from the Avengers?”

Sansa shook her head “Nope that was my costume stupid, Arya’s not ginger.”

“Well there’s wigs and stuff?”

“Cheap wigs never look good!

“Oh...Errm...a...”

Sansa smiled in what she knew was victory.

“A pumpkin?”

“No! Three strikes you’re out! Her and Jon were Mario and Luigi from Super Mario!”

“Damn it, I should have known that one.”

“Why would you know that?”

“Cause her and Jon and you used to play Mario, Luigi, and princess peach on Mario Party.”

Sansa’s face softened “How do you know that?”

“Cause she told me about it....”

Sansa bit her lips together “Do you like her?”

He sighed “Yeah I like her.”

“Why?” she asked accusingly.

“‘Cause she’s full of fire.”


	7. Grand Theft Lemon

Arya:

Arya jumped down the steps two at a time.

“Where are we going?” Marge asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied stopping suddenly and sitting down “I just don’t feel like dealing with my sister. She thinks I’m stupid and she can tell me what to do but she’s wrong.”

Marge sat down too, tucking her nightgown underneath her “I’m sure she doesn't think you’re stupid...and what do you mean anyway?”

“She told me I should stay away from Gendry, just because she doesn't like him.”

“It’s kind of hard to stay away from someone you’re traveling across the country with…”

Arya shrugged.

“Soooo,” she went on expectantly “How was he?”

Arya shook her head “I did not - fuck - Gendry Waters - ever.”

She sighed “Well that’s a damn shame.”

Arya felt sick “I just want to go home. I don’t care about the concert anymore, I never did.”

“Why are you so upset all of the sudden?”

“I’m just mad! What is she crying for? What’s she worried about me for? I’m not stupid! I’m not the one who’s stupid. Sansa’s stupid! She doesn't even know you’re like an identity thief or something! She’s always the one trying to tell me MY friends are bad influences.”

Marge’s face hardened and she huffed “How do you know Sansa is the one who’s stupid? What makes you think Gendry isn’t some fucking pervert looking to hit it and quit it? Huh?”

Arya was surprised, Margery usually sugar coated every syllable. Now she spoke frankly. Arya stood up “Even If he was I wouldn't care. I’m not exactly planning our wedding.”

“That’s bullshit, you like him. You think you know him? You think you know him any better than Sansa knows me?” Margery stood up “You’re deluded, and a fucking bitch. I don’t know why I bother trying to be nice to you.” she retreated up the stairs.

“Oh what?” she called after her “You aren’t used to batting your eyelashes at someone and then not having them fall in love with you?”

Margery didn’t bother replying.

Arya stomp her foot and growled to herself. She was furious and done with absolutely everyone she was on the road with, and everyone was furious and done with her. 

***

Gendry:

Gendry got some coffee in the lobby, and then some more coffee. Before the morning was out he was jittery and nervous, as pretty much all he did was drink coffee and try desperately to avoid everyone, embarrassed. 

Sansa had stormed back to the girls room, satisfied at finding Arya and as she said, too tired to talk about it anymore.

He texted Arya to try and apologise but she wasn’t answering for some reason.

He didn’t much care to talk to Margery.

After his phone was nearly dead from playing pinball until noon, he decided to go and fetch his charger from the truck. He made his way down to the parking lot, and where he thought he’d parked the but it wasn’t there. 

Thinking he must have been mistaking he had a look around. Then a walk around. It was gone, he was sure of it. His truck was gone. 

*** 

Margery:

Margery drove Gendry’s stolen truck south. She had reluctantly decided that she had no desire to tell Sansa who or what she was. It didn’t matter. This was how she liked to live, she liked seeing the world and taking what she could. Sansa Stark, didn’t fit into that life style. 

For some reason though, she didn’t feel like going on another adventure.  
Margery just wanted to steal a car and go home to her Grandma’s. 

It might as well be Gendry’s.

***

Sansa gave the police a description of Margaery, and Gendry gave them a description of his beloved truck. A beloved hunk of junk that would not make it out of the state without Gendry there to kick it the right way.


End file.
